By Taher Shir Mohammad, Deutsche Welle Radio Farsi - 02 May 2011
Teachers in ethnic regions face challenges not only in their professional and livelihood conditions but also in teaching bilingual students. The government has not taken any measures to address these issues, resulting in a higher rate of educational decline in these regions compared to others. What is the solution?
Fifty years ago, on 2 May 1961, a young teacher named Abolhasan Khanali was killed in protest against the working conditions and livelihood of teachers. Since that day, 12 May has been designated as "Teacher’s Day" in Iran. Especially on this day, some of the problems faced by educators and the education system are reflected in the media and public discourse.
According to the Fars News Agency, quoting Hamid Reza Hajibabaei, the Minister of Education: "If education and schools are given the attention they deserve as the most critical ministry, all the country's happiness will return." Fars quotes the Minister of Education, who says, "70% of students across the country are bilingual, and after entering first grade and completing one year of study, their mother tongue has still not been replaced by Persian." He emphasizes the question of how these students can compete with those studying in Tehran.
The Bilingual Issue in Schools of Iran’s Ethnic Regions
Majid Pazhouhfam, who has been a teacher for years in Iranian high schools and is also a university lecturer, criticizes the fact that one of the biggest challenges for teachers in ethnic regions, especially primary school teachers, is the issue of teaching in bilingual classrooms. He explains to Deutsche Welle: "When a teacher tries to find a solution to this problem, there is 'ethnic sensitivity.' Unfortunately, this issue has led to the imprisonment of many of my colleagues in Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and the Arab-populated regions of Iran."
This teacher, from Maragheh in Azerbaijan, tells Deutsche Welle that teaching in the mother tongue will help improve the quality of work for teachers in these regions and prevent educational decline.
"The Education Policy is Wrong"
Pazhouhfam, in addition to pointing out the professional challenges of teachers in ethnic regions, says that in large cities across the country, one can have another job alongside teaching, but such opportunities do not exist in smaller towns. This teacher explains his personal experience with the situation: "I have been told several times that if your livelihood is not good, you can change your profession. In 2009, I was summoned to the Ministry of Education. The officials there threatened me with the executive regulations of Article 45 of the 2004 law, concerning 'buying out surplus personnel.'"
He emphasizes that teachers who are active in labor issues are particularly threatened with this regulation. Pazhouhfam mentions some teachers who have been dismissed or faced problems, including Elias Talebi from Tabriz, Shokrallah Ghahramanifar, and Tawfiq Mortazepour, who were arrested last year. Other teachers, such as Javad Abbasi, an Arabic teacher from the Selmas high school, Hedayat Zaker from Tabriz, and Davood Azimzadeh, are also among those affected.
Problems of Teachers in Ethnic Regions: Bilingual and Dual Employment!
Javad Abbasi, a teacher recently dismissed from his job, explains the challenges faced by teachers in an interview with Deutsche Welle: "The needs of teachers do not match the salaries they receive. Compared to the services teachers provide and the role of education, their salaries are low and not comparable to other government employees." He adds that the more teachers struggle with livelihood issues, the lower the quality of education and the cultural system of the country will become.
In his view, teachers, instead of studying and researching to improve educational services and quality, turn to secondary jobs, leading to the mental health of teachers being damaged by exhaustion and severe trauma.
How Can the Government Solve the Problems?
Abbasi emphasizes that teachers in most cities in Iran do not have a professional union. He adds that government officials attempt to use teacher gatherings as a tool and that any protest has thus far led to reprimands, dismissals, and imprisonment. Abbasi, who has personally experienced this situation, views this policy of the Ministry of Education as flawed. He says, "All encounters have been violent and accompanied by threats of dismissal."
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| The protest gathering of a group of teachers in Iran |
Majid Pazhouhfam, a university lecturer, also discusses what he considers the most urgent task for the government to solve teachers' problems: "They should implement the law for coordination of payments, teachers should have job security, and the rights of part-time teachers should be respected."
How Can Teachers Prevent Educational Decline?
Teachers and education staff from ethnic regions of the country who spoke with Deutsche Welle have requested that in order to prevent educational decline in schools in ethnic regions, the Ministry of Education should revise its approach to the "bilingual issue." In their view, the government's policy has so far contributed to greater educational decline in these regions.
The Minister of Education has promised that the Supreme Council of Education will pay more attention to the issues of ethnic minorities and multilingual areas to create educational justice. However, teachers who spoke with Deutsche Welle view these promises with skepticism. They criticize the government for still viewing the bilingual nature of schools in ethnic minority regions as a "threat" and for not paying attention to the suggestions of teachers in these areas to reduce educational decline.
Edited by Keyvandokht Qahari
The link to the original article in Farsi on Deutsche Welle Persian:
افت تحصیلی در مناطق قومی ایران